Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
Ver. 13. Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai] A place of many bushes and briers. The law there delivered, pricketh and pierceth the consciences of evildoers. Thither God came with ten thousands of his saints, as Moses (who climbed up that hill, and alone saw it) saith, Deuteronomy 33:2 .
And spakest with them from heaven] He came down upon Sinai, and yet spake from heaven. See a like text, John 3:13. There he spake also with us, Hosea 12:4. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh from heaven, see that ye shift him not off, much less turn away from him, Hebrews 12:25 .
And gavest them right judyments, &c.] All these high praises are far below the worth and excellency of God's holy laws. They were given in the wilderness, because (saith Philo) they are to be learnt in a wilderness; seeing there we cannot be hindered by the multitude. But this is no way solid, as one hath well observed.
Good statutes and commandments] Good they are in respect, 1. Of the author; 2. Of the matter; 3. Of the effect: for they make those good that observe them. This is true of the moral law; as for the judicial, it was fitted to the Jews, and best for them: but Carolostadius did ill to seek to force it, as needful for all Christian commonwealths. Solon being asked whether he had given the best laws to the Athenians? answered, the best for them, the best that they could suffer. So here.